S Firinciogullari | PubMed Health

PubMed1994

Group differences in the relationship between apathy and depression.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminability of apathy and depression by determining whether the relationship of these two dimensions of behavior varies in different diagnostic groups. Using the authors' Apathy Evaluation Scale and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, we rated 123 subjects, mean age 72 years, who met research criteria for healthy elderly controls, left or right hemisphere stroke, probable Alzheimer's disease, and major depression. Elevated apathy scores unassociated with elevated depression were most frequent in Alzheimer's disease and right hemisphere stroke, and also occurred in a small number of left hemisphere stroke and normal subjects. In major depression, apathy was associated with high depression scores, although a substantial number of major depressives showed elevated depression without elevated apathy. In left hemisphere stroke, probable Alzheimer's disease, and major depression, there were significant positive correlations between apathy and depression. The slope of the regression of apathy on depression was greatest in probable Alzheimer's disease and major depression. These results indicate that the relationship between apathy and depression differs across diagnostic groups and, thus, support the discriminability of apathy and depression.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMed1993

The sources of convergence between measures of apathy and depression.

Apathy and depression are discriminable but related dimensions of behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the source of the overlap between measures of apathy and depression. We evaluated the intercorrelations between the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HamD) in 107 subjects, aged 53-85, who met research criteria for normal aging, left or right cerebral hemisphere stroke, probable Alzheimer's disease, or major depression. We determined the correlation between the individual items on the HamD and the total scores on the AES and the HamD. The HamD items having the strongest correlations with AES total score were diminished work/interest, psychomotor retardation, anergy, and lack of insight. The correlation between AES and HamD total scores was nonsignificant when major depression subjects and these variables most closely related to apathy were excluded from consideration. These findings indicate that the convergence between HamD and AES is attributable to (i) a subset of HamD items which are consistent with the syndrome of apathy and (ii) the fact that major depression is associated with both apathy and depression. Clinical and research applications of these results are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1993

The sources of convergence between measures of apathy and depression.

Apathy and depression are discriminable but related dimensions of behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the source of the overlap between measures of apathy and depression. We evaluated the intercorrelations between the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HamD) in 107 subjects, aged 53-85, who met research criteria for normal aging, left or right cerebral hemisphere stroke, probable Alzheimer's disease, or major depression. We determined the correlation between the individual items on the HamD and the total scores on the AES and the HamD. The HamD items having the strongest correlations with AES total score were diminished work/interest, psychomotor retardation, anergy, and lack of insight. The correlation between AES and HamD total scores was nonsignificant when major depression subjects and these variables most closely related to apathy were excluded from consideration. These findings indicate that the convergence between HamD and AES is attributable to (i) a subset of HamD items which are consistent with the syndrome of apathy and (ii) the fact that major depression is associated with both apathy and depression. Clinical and research applications of these results are discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

Reliability and validity of the Apathy Evaluation Scale.

This article presents evidence for the reliability and construct validity of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). Conceptually, apathy is defined as lack of motivation not attributable to diminished level of consciousness, cognitive impairment, or emotional distress. Operationally, the AES treats apathy as a psychological dimension defined by simultaneous deficits in the overt behavioral, cognitive, and emotional concomitants of goal-directed behavior. Three versions of the AES (clinician, informant, and self-rated) were evaluated for 123 subjects, ages 53-85, meeting research criteria for right or left hemisphere stroke, probable Alzheimer's disease, major depression, or well elderly control. Multiple forms of reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater) were satisfactory. Several types of validity evidence are presented for each version of the scale, including the following: ability of the AES to discriminate between groups according to mean levels of apathy, discriminability of apathy ratings from standard measures of depression and anxiety, convergent validity between the three versions of the scale, and predictive validity measures derived from observing subjects' play with novelty toys and videogames. Guidelines for the administration of the AES are presented, along with suggestions for potential applications of the scale to clinical and research questions.

Aged↗